Report on Determining the Reactivity of Concrete Aggregates

Report on Determining the Reactivity of Concrete Aggregates and Selecting Appropriate Measures for Preventing Deleterious Expansion in New Concrete Construction

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1. Report No. FHWA-HIF-09-001	2. Government Accession No.	3. Recipient’s Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle Report on Determining the Reactivity of Concrete Aggregates and Selecting Appropriate Measures for Preventing Deleterious Expansion in New Concrete Construction		5. Report Date April 2008
		6. Performing Organization Code
7.Author(s) Michael D.A. Thomas, Benoit Fournier, and Kevin J. Folliard		8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address The Transtee Group, Inc. 6111 Balcones Drive Austin, TX 78731		10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
		11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-D-00035
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Office of Pavement Technology Federal Highway Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590		13. Type of Report and Period Covered Final Report April 2008
		14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR): Gina Ahlstrom, HIPT-20
16. Abstract Alkali-aggregate reactions (AAR) occur between the alkali hydroxides in the pore solution of concrete and certain minerals found in some aggregates. Two types of AAR reaction are currently recognized depending on the nature of the reactive mineral; alkali-silica reaction (ASR) involves various types of reactive silica (SiO2) minerals and alkali-carbonate reaction (ACR) involves certain types of dolomitic rocks (CaMg(CO3)2). Both types of reaction can result in expansion and cracking of concrete elements, leading to a reduction in the service life of concrete structures. This report describes approaches for identifying deleteriously reactive aggregates and selecting appropriate preventive measures to minimize the risk of expansion when such aggregates are used in concrete. Preventive measures include avoiding the reactive aggregate, limiting the alkali content of the concrete, using supplementary cementing materials, using lithium-based admixtures, or a combination of these strategies.
17. Key Word Alkali-silica reaction, Alkali-aggregate reaction, reactive aggregates, concrete durability, prevention, fresh concrete, laboratory testing, supplementary cementing materials, lithium		18. Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service; Springfield, VA 22161.
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified	20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified	21. No. of Pages	22. Price

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Report on Determining the Reactivity of Concrete Aggregates and Selecting Appropriate Measures for Preventing Deleterious Expansion in New Concrete Construction

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